


Hold Me Tight (Or Don't)

by dawons



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Crack and Angst, Enemies to Lovers, InDa - Freeform, Inseong and Sanghyuk are "exes", Juho's just a mess, Light Angst, M/M, Mentions of Baek Juho | Zuho/Yoo Taeyang, No Smut, Taeyang is a dancer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 18:45:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16918302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawons/pseuds/dawons
Summary: Inseong sets his jaw, carding a hand through his hair. Sanghyuk stands in front of him with crossed arms, a frown gracing his features. "You really have no fucking idea what you did, do you?"





	1. Chapter 1

"I don't want to go in. I'll wait in the car."

  
"Inseong, we're going to be a while."

  
Inseong cards a hand through his brown hair, frowning at the boy in the passenger seat; Taeyang, his best friend. The windows of the car had clouded from the freezing cold rain outside, and he'd been occupying himself on the drive there by drawing little smiles on the glass with his fingertips. He groans, thumb smudging over one of the smiles, making it frown before it dissipates with the warmth from his fingerpad. "Please? You don't even have to talk to him." His voice is pleading, soft and so unlike him. Inseong knows he's fucked the moment he uses the puppy eyes, too. "I want to show you my new choreography..."

  
"Oh, my fucking God. Okay," he reaches for the keys, pulling them out of the ignition slowly, because every moment he wastes is a moment less that he has to look at _him_. "Why is he even here, Taeyang?"

  
Taeyang reaches into the backseat for his black backpack, the Adidas logo winking cheekily at Inseong, who wore practically anything except Taeyang's favorite brand. "He's helping me with a new routine," he says, tone insinuating that it's the easiest idea to comprehend and that he doesn't understand why Inseong is confused. "He's not that bad, really. Just a little obnoxious."

  
"You don't know him like I know him."

  
The conversation drops off there, a chasm slowly growing between the two, leaking an awkward, uncomfortable tenseness that threatens to swallow them whole. They leave the car, lights from the dance studio reflecting in the raindrops that fall and add to the monstrous puddles in the uneven parking lot. Taeyang runs ahead, getting under the cover of the doorway at such a high speed that he seemed more like a track star than a dancer. Inseong, trying to catch up, nearly trips over a speed bump, soaking his shoes in the water pooling at the bottom of it. "Shit!"

  
"Dumbass!" Taeyang laughs, holding open the door for the brunette when he finally gets there. "Take those off over here, don't soak the floor."

  
"' _Don't soak the floor_ ,'" he mocks, but obliges either way, skin crawling when he looks up to see him standing halfway across the room, white shirt clinging to his back and arms with sweat. His biceps ripple underneath the fabric when he crosses his arms. _Gross_.

  
"Sanghyuk!" Taeyang greets him happily, blissfully unaware of the way Inseong's blood boils behind him. "Did you start without me?"

  
"I did, sorry," he grins, eyes falling strictly on Inseong and refusing to leave. His blonde hair falls into his face, and he pushes it back with a hand, obviously preferring it loose rather than holding it back with the black headband tied around his wrist. "Why's he here?"

  
"He's my ride." He waves a hand dismissively, looking at the brunette with a smile. "I just need to change real quick," Taeyang shakes his bag, as if proving a point, and walks towards the back room. Inseong goes to sit against the wall, holding a staring contest with the floor. Of course he loses, but he doesn't care. He has a more pressing concern. Literally. Sanghyuk crosses the room in a second, placing his hand on Inseong's knee, pressing on it gently, gazing at him with his signature smirk. Inseong gags.

  
"Hey, 'Seong."

  
"Don't call me that."

  
Sanghyuk feigns sadness. "Why are you so mean, 'Seongie? Did I do something wrong?"

  
Inseong shifts his leg, forcing the other to move his hand away. "I'm not here to talk to you. Go dance or whatever you do now."

  
Sanghyuk grits his teeth, taking a step back. "No need to be a prick, Inseong."

  
Inseong, who had really, _really_ been trying to play nice before, drops the act. "Go look in that mirror for the prick, because it's not me! _You're_ the one who-"

  
He stops when Taeyang comes out of the back room, freezing at the sight of Sanghyuk's expression and Inseong's burning face. "Did I- should I...?" His gaze drops to the floor and he scuffs the toe of his sneaker against it, blushing. "Am I interrupting?"

  
"Nope!" Sanghyuk chirps as if the conversation had never happened, and Taeyang looks up to Inseong, who shrugs in annoyance and smiles at him encouragingly. Taeyang nods back, grinning, before sliding a black hat over his bleached hair. "What should we start with?"

  
"You need to stretch if you didn't in the changing room, so let's do that."

  
Inseong starts to space out after the two dancers start to work on their routine, finding himself watching his reflection in the mirror across the room. The rain outside has begun to come down harder, choking out any light from the other side of the street, where Inseong knows a fast food joint is bustling with customers at this hour. It wouldn't appear that way from the storm and the haze rising up from the ground, but he knows from personal experience that McDonalds is wilding at 8:30PM. The lights flicker when a burst of thunder rumbles from above them. He yelps, catching Sanghyuk's lip turn up in the corner from the mirror. Their eyes meet, and he immediately picks up his phone to check the time.

  
8:47. An hour and thirteen minutes more and he could leave, unless he killed himself or Sanghyuk before the night was over. In the more probable case of the two, he'd be going to prison immediately unless Taeyang took up a shovel and buried the body with him.

  
Speaking of the blonde, Inseong looks up curiously when he begins to step back, taking a nervous breath in.

  
"If you can get this, then we're getting an easy A," Sanghyuk shoots him a thumbs up, stepping back and turning around so his back presses against the mirror. "You can do it."

  
"Shut up," Taeyang snaps, but Inseong catches the bashful grin he hides when he ducks his head down. "I've done it before."

  
Sanghyuk shakes his head, scoffing. "Prove it."

  
Inseong has no idea what Taeyang's doing, but leans forward in anticipation when the blonde takes another step back. He shoots backward when Taeyang runs and lunges forward, body folding over sideways into a flip. He lands on his feet, stumbling to the side, before falling. Inseong jumps up and catches the laughing boy just before he hits the ground.

  
"I told you!" Taeyang giggles, dusting off his pants as he stands up. "I just need to stick the landing." Inseong slips back against the wall.

  
Sanghyuk claps, closing his eyes. "I love a legend."

  
8:55. Holy fuck. Inseong was about to commit the worst crime upon this dance studio.

  
Taeyang tries again, this time not falling sideways after landing but instead completely fucks the landing, not even able to catch himself before going down. His head hits first.

  
Sanghyuk falls next to him. "Shit!"

  
"Woah- you okay!?" Inseong crouches next to Taeyang, eyes widened.

  
Taeyang coughs, the corners of his lips turning upwards even though they tremble a bit from the lack of breath and shock running through him. "'m okay," he gasps, the wind knocked out of him completely.

  
"Are you sure?"

  
"Yeah," Taeyang nods, laughing quietly. "I'll be okay."

  
Sanghyuk looks up to Inseong with worry, and, for a moment, Inseong doesn't hate him. But then he remembers who he is and he hates him again. Sanghyuk pulls his lips taut, staring down Inseong, who glares back at him challengingly.

  
"Let's take five," says Sanghyuk, not breaking eye contact. His blonde hair bounces as he stands up, brown roots showing through the strands. Inseong squares his shoulders in response.

  
Taeyang nods, closing his eyes as Inseong leans him back onto the ground.

  
Sanghyuk points to the doors leading to the outside, frown set on his features. _Let's talk_ , he mouths, striding across the room in even steps until he's standing in front of the doors. Inseong looks down to Taeyang, pressing a finger lightly to his forehead. "I'm stepping out for a minute, I'll be right back."

  
The blonde nods, not bothering to open his eyes. Inseong stands up, wiping his hands on his jeans before making his way to the door, kneeling down to slide his shoes on. Sanghyuk takes his off, wanting to avoid them getting wet, shoving the door open with his hip before stepping out under the flimsy cloth overhang. It's obviously just up for decoration or protection from the sun, because there's holes in the top that water streams in from steadily that should have been fixed by now if it was used for protection for any actual weather complications.

  
Inseong huffs when the door slams in his face. Sanghyuk laughs. Prick.

  
He pushes the door open, crossing his arms. "What?" It comes out as more of a statement than a question.

  
"What the fuck is your problem?" Sanghyuk's eyebrows draw in, his eyes narrowing. "Do you want to fight? Right in front of Taeyang? Because I will."

  
Inseong sets his jaw, carding a hand through his hair. "You really have no fucking idea what you did, do you?"

  
"That was _three years ago_." Sanghyuk takes a step forward. Inseong takes one back, then another as Sanghyuk keeps advancing on him. His heel smacks against the curb and he stumbles, nearly falling back into the well kept garden that lined the studio.

  
Nearly, had Sanghyuk not leapt forward and snatched his wrist, pulling him back up to his feet before he could meet the dirt. And, of course, the rose bushes, that had kissed his legs on the way down and left little red pinpricks in the skin exposed to them. Love hurts.

  
"Shit, Inseong," Sanghyuk grumbles, a steady trickle of water raining down in the space between them. Which, isn't much; Inseong can feel Sanghyuk's breath on his cheek. He hates that it still makes his heart lurch. "Be more careful." His voice is softer, a bit more concerned. Inseong hates it.

  
He tears his wrist away but stays directly in front of the other, ignoring the itching sensation from the thorns that had tried to lodge themselves into his calf. "What are you playing at here?"

  
Sanghyuk takes a deep breath in, stilling himself from saying something he really doesn't mean. A flash of lightning brightens up the area, and moments later a deafening clap of thunder bursts through the darkness.

  
The door opens before either of them can say anything else, and Taeyang freezes in the entrance, grin falling when he notices the position of the other two. "Okay, now I really feel like I'm interrupting something."

  
Sanghyuk takes a step back, his socks splashing into a puddle. He recoils instantly, running towards the door. "You weren't!"

  
Inseong follows him inside, not bothering to try and clear the confused look on Taeyang's face. He peels his shoes off, making his way back over to the wall he was occupying before. Sanghyuk's already taken up his position by the mirror, shoes back on, and Taeyang bounds over to him excitedly.

  
"Alright, let's try this again..."

 

  
★・・・・・・★

 

  
By ten thirty, Sanghyuk decides to call it quits. He wipes a hand across his forehead, doubling over to catch his breath. Taeyang leans against the wall next to Inseong, rifling around in his backpack to pull out a bottle of water. "I think we did pretty well today."

  
Sanghyuk nods, pulling the bottom of his shirt up to swipe at his face. Inseong turns away at the first flash of skin he sees. A new tattoo lines his hip. It's long, curling up his side with black and purple geometric patterns. "We still have a lot to cover, though."

  
"Then we'll have to decide on another night to meet up," Taeyang murmurs, taking a sip from the bottle before dropping it back into his bag. "How about tomorrow and Friday night? Then we can rest this weekend."

  
"Yeah, alright."

  
Sanghyuk walks into the changing room, coming out a few minutes later wearing a black sweatshirt and jeans to match. He has his hair held back in the band, and Inseong can barely bring himself to look away. He waves to Taeyang, avoids looking at Inseong, and leaves. The wind slams the door shut behind him.

  
"So, I'll give you fifty bucks if you can give me another ride tomorrow."

  
Inseong scoffs, standing up. "Come on, you don't need to pay me. Of course I'll bring you, let's just get back to the dorm."

  
Taeyang nods, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Tonight wasn't too bad, was it?"

  
Inseong widens his eyes, pursing his lips. "Uh, define bad."

  
The blonde laughs, going to the doors. "What happened between you two, anyway? Every time I bring him up you look pissed." He pushes one open, holding it with his hip as he digs around in his bag for a key.

  
"I'll tell you later," the brunette mumbles, slipping his phone into his pocket. "It's a long story."

  
He holds the door for Taeyang, who thanks him after stepping out. "Is it really?"

  
"Well-" Inseong sighs. "No. Yes? Kind of."

  
Taeyang locks the door once the two of them are out, stressing the fact that the lights are automatic and would shut off after fifteen minutes with nothing moving inside. Inseong really didn't care, but wasn't going to tell him that, because _damn_ Taeyang seemed excited about these lights.

  
The rain had stopped since the last time Inseong had been outside, but in the distance thunder still boomed quietly, following the storm. The wind hadn't died down just yet, instead blowing even more fervently than earlier.

  
Inseong pulls his keys out of his pocket, swinging them around his finger idly on his way to the car. A black Impala, his prized possession. He unlocks the doors, checking the time on his phone before getting into the vehicle.

  
Sliding into the driver's seat, he waits for Taeyang to get situated before sliding the key into the ignition, the engine revving to life as he twists it. At the sound of Taeyang's seatbelt clicking into place, Inseong throws an arm loosely around the passenger's seat, looking over it as he backs up. He glances into the side mirror before fully turning back to the front, slipping out of reverse and into drive.

  
Taeyang leans over and plugs his phone into the aux, dropping it into the cup holder after it begins to charge. "So, are you going to tell me what happened now?"

  
"Yeah," Inseong sighs, glancing out the window as he pulls out onto the street. Taeyang rubs his sleeve over his, wiping away the fog on the inside of the glass. "We met in high school, like, eleventh grade. Junior year."

  
Taeyang sits forward, resting his chin in his hands and his elbows on his knees. "Juho, he knew Sanghyuk, so I was always familiar with who he was but never really introduced myself to him. We were mutuals. Around the end of the year, on probably the hottest weekend we'd had, Sanghyuk had a party. Juho wanted me to go with him, since he was a bit shy and didn't know anybody else there; I decided I'd go."

  
Inseong checks his mirrors, the road slick underneath the tires. He swerves gently to avoid splashing a couple walking by with the puddle in the road. "So I went. Shitty party, shitty drinks. But we all thought it was so cool, y'know? We were stupid high school kids."

  
Taeyang's phone buzzes in the cupholder. He reaches over and turns it off. "So what happened?"

  
"Oh, I'll tell you. Fucker decides that he'd had enough of whoever he was tearing up his basement with, so he comes upstairs and here I am, alone; I'd lost Juho about fifteen minutes earlier and I was trying to find him. And I'd always found him attractive, right?"

  
They pulled off of the main road, following a back one that lead to the campus and the dorms.

  
It takes a moment for Taeyang to fill the gap of silence. "Juho?" Taeyang scrunches up his nose in thought. "You liked Juho?"

  
"No! Sanghyuk. I'd always thought he was really cute. Nobody knew and I really never acted on my feelings until that night. _So_ , he comes up to me, all excited that I'd come, you know, just really eager to be friendly. And I'm like, cool, I'm not alone anymore."

  
Inseong trails off, fingers tightening on the wheel. Taeyang raises an eyebrow. "I sort of said 'fuck it' to waiting around for Juho to come back when Sanghykuk lead me to some room down the hall. A spare bedroom, or... No, no it was his bedroom. We locked the door, just chilled in there for a while. We talked."

  
"Sounds kind of nice..." Taeyang hums thoughtfully, reaching back into his bag to grab his water.

  
"It was! It was," Inseong agrees. "But, then we got onto the topic of relationships. His partners were always clingy and his sports got in the way of dates. I was too focused on studying to even think of dating somebody. We sort of..." He blushes, wiping the back of his neck with a hand. "How much detail do you want?"

  
"How much is there?"

  
"A lot?"

  
"Go for it," Taeyang shrugs. "After I walked in on Youngbin on New Years nothing phases me."

  
Inseong laughs, recounting the memory. "That was horrible. Okay! So we hooked up. It started that night, really, then kept going on, like three times a month, all up to senior year. At this point, we've become best friends. When we're not," he pauses, cocking his head to the side slightly, "doing that, we're seeing a movie or I'm at his games with Juho. _Best_ friends. During this time I had to have been my happiest." He grins, then realizes what he's doing and wipes the expression clean off of his face. "Then we're seniors. We'd talked a lot over the summer, he was going to stop with his sports and I was satisfied enough with my grades. We got closer. I got happier. He seemed happier, too."

  
"So you dated?"

  
"That would make sense," Inseong frowns. "No, we just went without a label. I thought that was just our way of staying closeted. It wasn't, obviously. He was hanging around other people, almost every day we weren't together." He laughs coldly, the humor from his voice gone. He sighs. "It was my fault for getting hurt in the end, I was just stupid."

  
Taeyang purses his lips. "You weren't! But, is that it? That's really bad, what he did, but I would have expected... More?"

  
"Oh, no. I'm not done." Inseong assures him, finally pulling into their campus parking lot. Taeyang was lucky it was so close to the dance studio. They stayed in the car, though, even after Inseong had parked and taken the keys out of the ignition. "So prom comes around. And he invites me. A bit suddenly, only a week before, I barely had time to prepare and figure out if I could steal the car for the night."

  
Taeyang nods, pulling his bag into his lap. He stuffs his phone into the front pocket, tossing the water bottle in next to it, before hugging it to his chest. He rests his cheek on the top of it, watching Inseong speak with tired eyes.

  
"So I show up. A little late, maybe an hour after it starts. Juho's waiting by the front doors for me-"

  
"-Who'd he go with?"

  
Inseong jumps a bit at the stern tone the other has. "Oh, I don't know. I think he went alone, he was just going to hang with me and Sanghyuk. We didn't try to make him feel like a third wheel when the three of us hung out, don't worry."

  
The blonde nods thoughtfully, a pout stuck on his bottom lip. He was concentrating on something. "That's good..." He notices Inseong's look of confusion almost instantly. "Not that he was alone! That you were all so cool with each other. No, sucks that he went alone."

  
"Yeah," Inseong breathes, shaking his head. "So he's waiting for me at the front. And I'm all happy, because senior year's over and Sanghyuk and I don't have to hide our relationship anymore. We can really just be happy and be ourselves, for once, in public."

  
Inseong checks the time, deciding to speed up the story a bit so he can go to bed soon. "Juho tried to stop me. And I thought that was weird, yeah? He really just did not want me to go in, was just cussing out Sanghyuk." Inseong pauses again, shaking his head with an angry grin on his face.

  
"Oh, no, what?"

  
"He never showed up. Juho had the feeling he wouldn't, and he's always spot on with his feelings. We waited for hours, even went to the after party until five in the fucking morning just to see if he'd show up. He didn't, so, I called him. And texted him. Maybe a hundred times?" Inseong shrugs. "He ghosted me."

  
Taeyang scoffs in disbelief. "Really?"

  
"Yeah." Inseong nods, swinging his keys around his finger. He's too tired to finish. It didn't matter anyway, though. Taeyang got the gist. "Ready to go?"

  
Taeyang nods, stepping out of the car. Inseong pauses as he gets out. "Do you...?"

  
"Huh?"

  
"Like Juho?"

  
Taeyang's eyes widen. "No, are you insane!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! i hope you're enjoying it thus far uwu
> 
> twitter: @blossomfic ( https://twitter.com/blossomfic )  
> curious cat: (leave me things here! if u want. i need validation) @blossomfic ( https://curiouscat.me/blossomfic )


	2. Chapter 2

The next night, Inseong shows up to the dance studio with Taeyang once again, ready to cut a bitch if that certain bitch played his feelings and hurt him in high school. But he's ready to cut any bitch, really.

  
And maybe he shows up wearing a white shirt that showed off his collarbones and his black jeans that showed off his thin legs and hips. Maybe.

  
"You came again." Sanghyuk notes from inside as Inseong steps in. The brunette frowns. Sanghyuk smirks. "Glad I didn't scare you off."

  
"Shut up."

  
Taeyang looks between them awkwardly, wanting to side with Inseong, though having known Sanghyuk for longer makes that a bit difficult. He slips off to the back room to get changed before the two can acknowledge him standing there.

  
Sanghyuk frowns, taking a step forward. Inseong stands still, but being so close still makes his heart beat worryingly. Fuck a natural chemical reaction. "Inseong, we need to talk."

  
"I think one of us needs to apologize to the other before we can talk."

  
"Okay, I can wait," Sanghyuk offers obliviously. Inseong gapes at him. It takes him a second to realize what Inseong meant. "Oh! Oh. _Oh_. You want me to apologize." He clarifies for himself. "Got it, got it. Uh, for prom?"

  
"No, for stepping on my foot in eighth grade." Inseong snarks. "What do you think I'm asking you to apologize for!?"

  
"Okay," Sanghyuk nods, raising his hands defensively. "Point taken. I'm sorry for ditching you at prom."

  
"I feel like you don't mean that."

  
"Look," Sanghyuk starts, raking a hand through his hair. "I am sorry. Really."

  
Inseong shrugs, leaning against the back wall that at this point he's claimed as his own. "Why'd you do it?"  
"Inseong, it was three years ago."

  
"Yeah, and three years ago I was in fucking lo-"

  
He stops when Taeyang comes out of the back room, waving at them. "Are we ready?"

  
Sanghyuk turns to him, nodding, before glancing back to Inseong. "Can we talk later?" His eyes are wide, concern glimmering in them. "Please?"

  
The brunette nods, sliding down the wall to sit comfortably, pulling out his phone. He decides to occupy himself by texting his groupchat, made up of online and college friends, and then Juho.

 

 

 **ME:**  
Hey gang

  
**Juho:**  
what do you want

 

 **Chanhee:**  
He's just mad bc you're hanging out with taeyang and he isn't

  
**ME:**  
Yeah ik

 

 

Juho had kept hidden his feelings for Taeyang since their freshman year of college. Ever since the blonde had smiled at him in his first class he'd had his sights locked and loaded.

 

 

 **Juho:**  
shut up.  
has he said anything about me? i'll give you 20$ for answers

 

 **Jae:**  
omg he's desperate that's cute!!!

 

 

Practically their entire friend group knew about Juho's crush, save for Taeyang himself. Everyone was always trying to stick the two together in some situation, however. For instance, last Halloween Youngbin had dragged everyone (including Sanghyuk, to Inseong's dismay) to a haunted house, then paired up Taeyang and Juho for the event. Before that, Jaeyoon had thrown a party and gotten the whole group together to play Seven Minutes in Heaven, then replaced everyone's name with Taeyang's when Juho had drawn.

  
Nothing had happened yet, but they were all ready for it.

 

  
**ME:**  
Uhhh yesterday on the way home I told him abt the Sanghyuk sitch  
And when I got to the prom part he was very "who'd he go with" "he went alone?"  
He was lowkey relieved

  
**Juho:**  
u can get ur money at my dorm when u get back thx for the intel

 

 **Binnie:**  
I'm across the room from him  
Want me to send a pic of how bad he's smiling?  
It's kind of scary

 

 **Jae:**  
omg im soft that's so sweet uwu

 

 **Binnie:**  
He chased me into the bathroom sarge.  
WE GOIN DOWN. STREAKS.  
HE'S BANGING ON THE DOOR.  
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK  
SAJDHJAASHD  
HE KICKED IT DOWNEEN  
ASHDJA  
SHAJD  
HELP  
HELP  
HES GOT KRME  
INSEONGGNF CJMOLFE HOMR EN

 

 

Inseong gets off of the groupchat after that, focusing instead on Taeyang. He was trying to repeat his flip from yesterday, and if he fell again Inseong was planning to catch him before he busted his ass.

  
"Please don't fall again," he worries, setting his phone on the ground beside him.

  
Taeyang laughs. "I'll try."

  
Sanghyuk claps a hand over his back encouragingly. "If you land this I'll take you out to get dinner after we finish. I'll pay." His gaze trails over Inseong, "you can come, too."

  
"I'll pass," Inseong deadpans.

  
"You won't."

  
Taeyang looks between the two of them again. He raises his eyebrows at Inseong, who raises his back. He didn't know what the fuck was going on, either. The blonde shakes his head, taking three steps back. "Okay, like, now?"

  
"Whenever you want to," Sanghyuk hums. Taeyang takes that as his cue, rushing forwards. Sanghyuk jumps back when Taeyang lurches into the air, landing on his feet smoothly after twisting his body sideways. He sighs shakily, grin bursting through his nervous expression.

  
"Was that good?"

  
Inseong nods, feeling his phone vibrate in his lap. He picks it up.

 

  
  
**Juho:**  
whatever taeyang's doing: send pics

  
**ME:**  
I'll take one in a little while, I think we're getting dinner with Sanghyuk

  
**Juho:**  
why  
that idea? bad  
discussion [closed]  
decision [made]  
remember how badly you were hurt?  
i know you were just talking about missing him but  
i wouldn't, but i'll respect your decision no matter what

  
**ME:**  
Juho I love you but I think I'm going to do it  
Idk, he seems. Actually apologetic  
I won't let my guard down  
I love you my supportive lil' buddy  
Don't kill Youngbin pls

 

 

Inseong continues watching them as they finish up their choreography. He's actually impressed, and a little pissed because Sanghyuk looks _fine_. He'd rather die than ever admit that though. He nearly cried when they met eyes as he did a quick body roll. He hated this. He hated _him_ , right?

  
They run through the dance again. And again. And soon an hour's passed and Inseong's getting tired. He leans his head back, eyes lidded as he watched them with a tired gaze. Taeyang goes to his backpack sitting on the ground next to the brunette, smiling apologetically at him.

  
"One more run, then we're done. Sorry, you told me that you're not feeling too great before we left the dorm."

  
"Don't worry about it," he smiles back, suppressing a yawn. "I'm sure it's not a cold."

  
Inseong had always had an affinity for getting sick during the colder weather. Ever since he was a child, he would get awful colds that often lasted for a week on end. They were terrible, and he'd usually have to spend days in the hospital being analyzed or being under constant watch.

  
Taeyang pouts, digging around in his backpack for his water bottle. He pulls it out, offering it to Inseong, who declines politely. He takes a sip. "Twenty minutes tops." He promises, then leans in a bit closer so only those two can hear. "Do you want to go out after, or should we ditch?"

  
Inseong glances over to Sanghyuk, who's leaning against the mirror tapping away on his phone, and turns back to Taeyang. "It's your choice. I really don't mind. Free food, right?"

  
Taeyang's lips quirk up. He takes another sip of his water before setting it back in his bag, sighing. "We'll go, then. But if you start feeling like you want to kill him, we'll leave."

  
Obviously, Inseong agrees. He's still positive that Taeyang wouldn't help him bury a body, no matter how close they'd gotten since Youngbin introduced them. Taeyang runs back to the center of the studio, Sanghyuk looking up at him from his phone. "We're going again?"

  
"Let's do it!"

  
Sanghyuk sets his phone back down against the mirror, a song playing quietly out of the speaker. It lulls and the device chimes with an oncoming text, before the music slips back into being the sole sound in the room, save for the few taps and squeaks of the dancers' shoes.

  
Inseong spaces out, watching Taeyang move subconciously. He's impressed with how far he's come, proud of him, even. He can tell that the blonde is really giving this his all, and he can tell he's passionate about it, too. The gleam in his eyes when he dances speaks for itself, just like the smile he unknowingly wears each time he moves his body. He really was happy.

  
Slowly, they come to a stop, breathing heavily. A bead of sweat drops off of Taeyang's nose.

  
"Fuck," he whispers, sinking down to sit on the ground.

  
Sanghyuk nods, moving back to grab his phone. "Fuck." He agrees, stopping his music and beginning to click around on his phone again. "I'm exhausted."

  
"Tell me about it." Taeyang sighs, laying back. He looks to Inseong, slowly dragging himself to his friend, whining the entire time. "I'm _tired_."

  
"That sucks," Inseong pouts, reaching a hand out to wipe across Taeyang's forehead. He recoils, wiping his palm on his jeans. "Ew."

 

  
★・・・・・・★

 

  
When Sanghyuk had said 'I'll take you out to get dinner,' Inseong had expected something at least somewhat nice. Taeyang was content with anything, really, but Inseong was a man of pride, and being caught at McDonalds (yes, the one across the street. They literally walked to it) at ten at night, surrounded by the local crackheads, wasn't the way he wanted to be remembered.

  
Did this make him a local crackhead? Obviously it made Sanghyuk one. Hell, he was getting crunk in the corner with Taeyang, shoveling chicken nuggets into his mouth at a worrying rate. Taeyang is happily condoning the older blocking his airways.

  
"You're going to choke," Inseong points out, then realizes that he's talking to _LEE SANGHYUK_ , who's fit more into his mouth than eight chicken nuggets, and promptly shuts up.

  
Sanghyuk tries to speak through the mouthful but laughs at how gargled his voice sounds, which makes him gag, which makes him start coughing like an old car's engine into the nearest trash can.  
"He really is amazing," Taeyang sighs, eyes full of wonder and bewilderment. "He's like an exotic type of animal I've never seen before."

  
"He's something." Inseong agrees, crossing his arms. Sanghyuk roars with pain, still bent over the can. A man with scraggly white hair and crazy eyes watches him intently from his booth. He nods.  
What the fuck was he seeing?

  
He wheezes out a quiet "help," turning to make eye contact with the two. There's a piece of chicken stuck on his cheek. Taeyang laughs. Inseong is not amused.

  
Five minutes later, after an employee recorded Sanghyuk for her Snapchat, Inseong pulls Taeyang's chair over next to his to snap a quick picture of the two of them. The blonde pouts, puffing out his cheeks. Inseong just smiles. Sanghyuk is too focused with a game on his phone to notice the two having a photoshoot across the table from him.

  
"You sending that to somebody?" Taeyang hums, reaching to snatch a fry from the box sitting in the center of the table.

  
"Nah," Inseong responds as he hits 'Send' to Juho, setting his phone down. "Maybe I'll post it."

  
"Tag me," Taeyang points the fry at him before popping it into his mouth, "I'm waiting for somebody to ask me out. And if they see me, looking this fine? I'm taken, ladies!"

  
That grabs Sanghyuk's attention. He immediately looks up, suddenly immersed in the conversation. "Really? Who?"

  
Inseong narrows his eyes. Sanghyuk didn't have the right to know that. He was Taeyang's ultimate best friend. Fuck Sanghyuk.

  
"Uh," Taeyang's ears turn red. "You guys will tell on me."

  
"I won't!" Inseong assures at the same time that Sanghyuk speaks out, 'we won't!'.

  
Taeyang's cheeks follow the lead of his ears. "Swear?" When Inseong and Sanghyuk nod, he glances around. "J- ah- no this isn't happening, you'll find out eventually."

  
Jaeyoon. Inseong can tell from the vowel clipping the end of the letter, it has to be Jaeyoon.

  
He couldn't let Juho find out. It would devastate him.

  
"I know like six people with names starting with J." Sanghyuk starts. "Jaeyoon, Joshua, Juho," he pauses. "Jeno, Jeongguk... Johnny." He stops.

  
"You know Jeongguk?" Inseong widens his eyes. Jeongguk was the pickiest person when he was choosing his friends. It took him a month to even say hi back to Inseong in the halls. Johnny was impressive, and practically a myth at the school. Everybody knew who he was, but nobody ever saw him more than once.

  
"Of course I know Jeongguk!" Sanghyuk scoffs. "He and I play Overwatch together. Sometimes I try and convince him to buy a Switch so we can play that too."

  
"You're still into all that gaming stuff, huh," Inseong murmurs, almost specifically just to himself. Taeyang nods at him. Sanghyuk doesn't hear him and, if he does, he ignores him.

  
His phone buzzes, and he glances down at the screen.

 

 

 **Juho:**  
have a good time, don't stay out too late.  
thank you  
you guys look nice

  
**ME:**  
Aw :) ur sweet

 

 

Though Inseong was texting Juho privately, the groupchat was still living it up at ten thirty. Youngbin was having an issue with his friend and Chanhee was telling him to, 'just kill him', for forgetting they were supposed to have a FaceTime call. How did all of his pure rage fit in his tiny body?

  
Taeyang's own phone buzzes a moment later and his face brightens up tenfold. "I really need to go take this, I'll be back!" He stands up, accepting the call. "Hey, Jae!" Rushing towards the door outside, Sanghyuk calls out after him.

  
"Don't let a homeless man eat your throat!" That grabs the attention of the couple in the corner, who turn up their noses in disgust at him.

  
Inseong rolls his eyes. "For fuck's sake."

  
"Uglies."

  
He finds himself smirking at the joke, and he sees the younger doing the same. He lets it fall from his face.

  
"Can we actually talk about that night, or is it going to stay awkward between us?"

  
The brunette slumps back in his chair, shrugging. He'd started to feel tired, even though he'd woken up late that day. "I think no matter what it'll be awkward." His phone buzzes. He sets it screen down on the table. "But if you want to, go ahead."

  
He starts in instantly. "I wasn't standing you up that night. And I wasn't with Seokwoo. I mean- I was, but not in the way you're thinking."

  
Inseong waits until he finishes with the statement to add a small, "bullshit."

  
"It's not! I swear. I just-"

  
"You just?"

  
"Told him I wouldn't... Okay, whatever." Sanghyuk leans back, mirroring Inseong's position. "He got broken up with and I wasn't just going to leave him alone. I thought you wouldn't freak out too much, I was wrong and I'm sorry."

  
"I really don't believe that."

  
"Well," Sanghyuk shrugs half heartedly, raising and dropping one shoulder, "it's true, so."

  
Inseong shakes his head in disbelief. "Then why did you ghost me?"

  
"Ghost? The fuck does that- Oh! Oh. Yeah, I did that." He giggles, embarrassment creeping onto his features. "I didn't want you to be mad at me, so I wanted to avoid it."

  
"Did you ever think that maybe I would be less upset if you had explained what happened?"

  
Sanghyuk pales, his tiny laugh slowly stopping. "I was scared. It didn't cross my mind, I just wanted to avoid everything."

  
Inseong truly uses all of his willpower to hold back a snarky, ' _I don't think anything crosses your mind_ ,' instead settling on a low, "maybe you should have."

  
"You're right. I should have. I'm sorry."

  
It _sounded_ genuine enough, but Inseong was still not up to forgiving him just yet. Or, maybe he already had, but he just wanted to have a bit of fun with this. He was still pissed, though.

  
"Why should I forgive you?"

  
The question hangs in the air. It seems like the whole restaurant is silenced, though he can clearly hear a man behind the counter yelling at somebody to 'stop lining up on our tables, people eat on those!'.

  
Sanghyuk stares at him, mouth agape. "Why should- what?"

  
The brunette repeats himself, raising his eyebrows. "You're not off to a good start. You should get to talking before I leave again."

  
"Hey, alright, okay-" Sanghyuk panics, immediately sitting forward. He probably gave himself whiplash from the sheer force of the way he threw himself towards the table. "Because I'm genuinely sorry and want to make things right again?"

  
Inseong can tell now that he's genuine. He's nearly positive he can see tears glimmering in the corners of the other's eyes. "We'll see, then."

  
"We'll what?" Sanghyuk's voice trembles, and he covers it with a cough that makes his shoulders jump.

  
"We'll see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu


	3. Chapter 3

Inseong wakes up to a searing headache and an aching throat, but he doesn't notice the wave of nausea until he sits up and nearly throws up over the side of his bed. Outside it pours, once again, and the traffic coming and going from the dorms is heavy. He stumbles slowly over to his windows, drawing the curtains shut roughly. "Fuck..."

  
His phone beeps from somewhere across the room, and he spins clumsily to notice it wrapped in his jeans from the night before, peeking out from the pocket. It takes him three minutes to grab it, climb back into bed, and actually open it up, groaning the whole time.

 

 

 **TAETAE:**  
Heyyyy!!! >:) Can I expect u tonight or should I find some1 else?  
No pressure  
Love u

  
**TAETAE:**  
Hey, are u ok?  
Didn't see u today in class  
It's late...

  
**TAETAE:**  
I'm worried, you're always up by 3.  
What's going on?  
Are you sick?  
Text me back!!!

 

 

Inseong checks the time, blinking in shock, because it's the only reaction he can have without either throwing up or crying out in pain, when he realizes it's six. He'd slept for almost a whole day?

 

 

 **ME:**  
Hi

 

 

It takes two seconds for Taeyang to start typing, and Inseong knows he's in for it.

 

 

 **TAETAE:**  
WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WIT HYOU  
FUCK YOU  
I WAS SO  
WORRIED!  
EVEN JUHO WAS WORRIED  
THAT MAN IS FUCKING STOIC  
YOU KNOW WHO ELSE IS WORRIED?  
SANGHYUK  
I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT HE'S FUCKING.  
MID PANIC  
WHERE ARE YOU  
IT IS SIX PM

  
**ME:**  
Youre so ldoud pls  
i'm Sickd  
sickd  
sicj  
Sik  
sick  
.  
I am sicl.  
Oh my God.

  
**TAETAE:**  
oh baby im sorry :( go back to bed, don't worry  
i'll stop by tomorrow morning to check on you  
i'll bring food and medicine!  
go get some rest, don't even respond to these, i know u read them

 

 

He doesn't need to tell Inseong twice, as he throws his phone to the other side of the bed instantly and curls up underneath the blankets. The rain patters angrily against the window, echoing through the room. And, though the space is cold, Inseong still continually needs to wipe a sheen of sweat off of his cheeks and forehead.

  
Drifting in and out of sleep for what seems like hours, Inseong can only tell that time is passing by the room getting darker and darker. Soon it's pitch black and the storm outside is still raging. It's harder now, thunder clapping and lightning flaring every so often to accompany the rain.

  
Though he wants to wake up, he can't bring himself to, and once again drifts into sleep. It continues on for, once again, likely hours, but he can't tell anymore. Every time he's awake blends together until he isn't sure if he's really slept at all, unsure of if he'd been spacing out the entire time. Though, he vaguely remembers having a fever dream, so he's guessing that he's slept.

  
And, once again, he falls into a deep sleep.

  
He's unaware when his front door cracks open and somebody steps inside.

 

  
★・・・・・・★

 

  
Inseong wakes up to the feeling of cold water dripping down his neck. At first, he thinks it's sweat, until he reaches up and feels a soft washcloth clinging to his forehead. He sits up, looking quickly around the room.

  
His lights have been turned on in the hallway, illuminating everything with a soft, orange glow. Especially the boy asleep with his arms crossed over his head, leaning onto the bed next to the shocked brunette. "Sanghyuk?"

  
Inseong's voice comes out scratchy and rough, and he winces after it sends an awful shock through his dry throat. The blonde shoots up immediately, panicked until he sets eyes on Inseong. Almost as if he was afraid of losing him, he brings a hand forward and presses it to his arm. "Hey." His voice, groggy and worried, sends a chill down the other's spine. He yawns.

  
"Why... Are you here?"

  
His voice cracks on almost each word, but Sanghyuk, though he would love to laugh at it, instead only sits forward and peels the cloth away, which has somehow stuck to his face. He presses his knuckle against Inseong's forehead, then his cheeks, frowning. "Doesn't matter. You're burning up. Here, lay back down."

  
Really, Inseong wants to ask three important questions to the concerned blonde. One wasn't even a question, but he still wanted to say it.

  
1\. How did you get into my apartment?

  
2\. Why do you care?

  
3\. Fuck off.

  
But, since everything he said made him jolt with pain and threatened nausea, he would stick with a stern glare as he settled back down.

  
"Okay," Sanghyuk nods, standing up from the chair he'd dragged in from the kitchen a room over. "You'll be okay."

  
He seems to be assuring himself, really, and that only sends Inseong into a flurry of panic. Why wouldn't he be okay? This was just a cold.

  
The blonde turns to leave, looking over his shoulder. "I'm just going to wet this," he waves the rag, "then bring you a bowl in case you throw up. Are you hungry? Probably not, right? If you are I can still make something. Are you?"

  
Inseong barely registers himself shaking his head before he stops himself, angry that he was going along with the other playing doctor so easily. When Sanghyuk leaves, he snatches his phone from where he'd tossed it earlier.

 

 

**SANGHYUK (MUTED): MISSED CALL (4)**  
**SANGHYUK (MUTED): TEXT MESSAGE (16)**  
**SANGHYUK (MUTED): MISSED CALL (18)**  
**SANGHYUK (MUTED): PICTURE MESSAGE (2)**  
**SANGHYUK (MUTED): AUDIO MESSAGE (8)**

 

 

Damn, a bitch was needy.

  
Speaking of being needy, when was Sanghyuk coming back? He was hungry. He wanted soup.

  
He lays back, setting his phone down on the pillows beside him. The rain outside was quiet, muted against the background noise of the apartment complex. Which, wasn't much to begin with, it was mostly just the faint sound of somebody vaccuuming upstairs, music playing from downstairs, and the elevator dinging every so often down the hall.

  
Sanghyuk comes barrelling back into the room, calming only after making eye contact with the other. "Oh, thank God. Here." What, was Inseong just supposed to get up and run for the hills? Why was Sanghyuk so worried?

  
He drops the cloth back onto his forehead, setting a bowl down beside the bed. "In case you throw up."

  
"Y'said that." He mumbles, reaching for the water bottle Sanghyuk holds just almost out of his reach. He gladly hands it over. After taking a slow sip of it, he decides he should be able to speak without it hurting so much. "Can you make soup?"

  
The response is instant, but it definitely isn't as condescending as Inseong expected from him. "Of course!"

  
After a short pause, he grabs a stray blanket from the end of the bed. "But, just to make me feel better, come with me. Just lay on the couch, I want to keep an eye on you."

  
Inseong refuses by turning over onto his side, tangling himself up in his sheets. The washcloth falls off and he groans, slapping it back over his face like a mask. Sanghyuk huffs in annoyance.

  
"Are you kidding me?"

  
Inseong yanks the comforter over his head, blocking out the other's voice. He yelps when he feels himself being picked up, and cringes when the blankets fall to the ground.

  
"Put me right down before I-" a bout of coughs shuts him up. Sanghyuk sighs, reaching down to grab the bowl with one hand while the other pins the brunette against his chest.

  
"You weigh like three pounds. I could bench you." Sanghyuk tries to make light of the situation.

  
Inseong still hasn't stopped coughing, and Sanghyuk is damn lucky because he would have started in on him. He is shocked, though, when the other carries him out of the room and drops him onto the couch in his living room, setting the bowl next to him and the blanket on his lap. "Stay here."

  
"Where else could I go?"

  
He shrugs, striding across the room to the connected kitchen. The apartment was small, three rooms in total. A combined living space and kitchen, a bathroom, and Inseong's bedroom. It was enough for him. He never liked extravagant things.

  
Leaning back against the couch, Inseong watches Sanghyuk with hooded eyes. He's exhausted, but he wouldn't trust the other with him being the only one awake as he cooked. He would burn his whole building down.

  
"Oh," Sanghyuk pipes up, flicking on the stove as he dumps the contents of a soup can into Inseong's one pan that he'd gotten from Youngbin as a housewarming gift. Which was indeed a frying pan, but Sanghyuk wasn't a quitter. "I got you medicine."

  
"I'm not taking it."

  
He spins on his heel, glaring at the sick boy. "You can and you will."

  
Inseong shakes his head, feels a wave of nausea bubble up inside himself, and lays down on his side to steel himself. "I'm alright."

  
"You should take it to feel better," he deadpans, finding a spoon. "It's cough syrup. It won't kill you."

  
"No way, thanks," Inseong hisses, pulling his blanket up over his mouth when Sanghyuk turns around to look at him. Really, he wouldn't take this even if Sanghyuk wasn't the one trying to give it to him; not because he didn't want his help with anything other than the soup, but because he _hated_ the medicine. And, maybe because he still hated Sanghyuk a bit. Or, did he still hate him? He's still deciding. Either way, Sanghyuk is on thin ice and Inseong is too sick to stop himself.

  
Sanghyuk walks over to him and crouches down, frowning. "We've done this before."

  
"So?"

  
He remembers clearly what Sanghyuk is talking about. He can also clearly hear the warning in the other's tone. Is it bad that he wants him to repeat history just this once?

  
Probably.

  
"Open your mouth," he mutters, making Inseong shake his head aggressively. "Okay, so we are doing this again, just to clarify?"

  
The brunette watches carefully as Sanghyuk pours the medicine into the spoon, keeping it far enough away so he can't smack it out of his hand. "I'd like to see you try."

  
Sanghyuk scoffs. "Open your mouth, Inseong. Either you take this like a big boy or I force you to."

  
Still speaking from behind the blanket, the brunette lifts the cloth to hide his blush. "Is it weird I-" he's cut off by his own coughing and he sits up, only to double over and continue gasping for air against his upraised knees. Sanghyuk takes the time the other is distracted to shove the spoon between his own lips. Was this plan awful? Yes. Was he still going to go through with it? Oh, absolutely.

  
When Inseong leans back finally, breathing raggedly, he's not prepared for the blonde to force him gently back against the couch. He hisses when Sanghyuk hits him with the spoon, but finds himself grinning nonetheless. "You're doing this again?"

  
Sanghyuk chokes on the medicine, driving the other further back until he's still. He wants to answer, but he's unable to with a full mouth. And he's not about to swallow it, waste it, or spit it out, so he does the only logical thing to do, in his opinion, and hooks his lips onto the other's, biting his lower lip to get him to part them. He pulls away after a moment, cringing.

  
Inseong looks away, setting his jaw as he swallows hesitantly, glaring at the other. "You're going to get sick now."

  
Sanghyuk's gaze seems clouded over with thought. "Maybe."

  
Inseong watches him leave to go back to the kitchen, laying back on his side again. Sanghyuk works over the counter for a moment, pouring the soup into a bowl before grabbing yet another spoon, taking his time to walk back over to the couch.

  
"Are you alright?" The brunette hums, noticing the fog hadn't cleared from Sanghyuk's eyes.

  
"I think I still..." Sanghyuk trails off. Inseong reaches out to take the bowl from him, but gasps and rips his hands away, putting them against his chest. He closes his eyes, holding his breath.

  
After a moment, he cracks open his eyes, his grip loosening on his shirt as he takes another breath in. "You still what?" Inseong murmurs, exhaustion seeping into his voice.

  
Sanghyuk waves off the question, too focused on finding the rag he'd been using on Inseong's forehead, which had gone MIA in the other's blankets. When he finds it, he hurries to the kitchen to soak it again, wringing it out quickly.

  
Inseong lets him place the washcloth on his forehead, reaching up to grab his hand. "Answer me, you still what?" His voice cracks.

  
Sanghyuk scoffs, kneeling down to press his free palm against the other's cheek, twisting his hand after to use his knuckle. "I still care about you."

  
Inseong nods, closing his eyes. Sanghyuk tries to pull his hand away, but Inseong holds it firmly. "I'm sorry."

  
"Why are you apologizing? I caused this," Sanghyuk murmurs guiltily. "I kept you guys out, I was the one who wouldn't let you go home to rest." He stops, takes a shaky breath, and finishes. "I was the one who fucked us up."

  
Inseong cracks an eye open, but even that's too much effort and he shuts it again. "Yeah, but..." He shrugs, sighing. "I can tell you're sorry."

  
"That still-"

  
"Just shut up and come here." Inseong frowns, sliding over further on the couch. Sanghyuk isn't sure if it's the fever talking, so he just leans against the seat, letting the other hold his hand. "You're an idiot. I think I still care about you too."

  
The blonde shakes his head, frowning. "You should rest."

 

  
★・・・・・・★

 

  
"Ah, shit..."

  
Juho finds himself locked outside of his dorm that evening, shivering from the cold air in the hallway. Youngbin had said he was going to be out tonight, why hadn't he remembered to grab his keys?

  
"Hey, stranger."

  
Juho freezes at the voice behind him, wincing. ' _Damn it_ ', he thinks as he turns, a worried smile growing on his face. "Taeyang, hey!"

  
The blonde grins, grocery bags piled high in his arms. "What's up?" He nods to the door. "Are you locked out or something?"

  
Juho laughs, "actually, yeah."

  
"Oh, no, that sucks," Taeyang hums, readjusting his grip on his groceries. "Is Youngbin coming home soon?"

  
Juho shakes his head, sighing. "Nah, he's off campus. I can probably just find Jaeyoon or something, it's not a big...-"

  
"-You can come back to my place, if you want," Taeyang offers, and Juho widens his eyes.

  
Dragging his bottom lip between his teeth, he assesses the situation and reviews his options. One, he could wait outside in the cold for the night, or, with option two, he could go back to Taeyang's dorm and suffer for the night. He'd much rather stick with option one, but being somewhere warm seems much more appealing. "Okay," he agrees hesitantly, nodding, "okay."

  
The blonde leads Juho back to his room, a bounce clearly evident in his step. Juho watches, completely smitten with the other. He cards a hand through his hair, which he'd recently dyed black, drawing it back slowly. Taeyang glances back at him when they're stopped at his doorstep, cocking his head towards the room. "Can you grab the door? The key's in my pocket."

  
Juho blinks. The key- in his pocket? No. Not happening. He was turning around right now.

  
Turning around after he grabbed the key from Taeyang's pocket, held awkward eye contact with him as he fished for it, and slowly unlocked the door and stepped inside.

  
"Thanks," Taeyang grins, going to the kitchen to set everything down. "So, what have you been up to recently?"

  
Juho looks around, lips parted in bewilderment. The dorm was immaculate, practically shimmering with how clean it was. "Uh, nothing really," he confesses, slowly following Taeyang to the kitchen, "projects, essays, you know? College shit."

  
"I get that." Taeyang murmurs, putting away everything in the bags. "Did you eat tonight?"

  
"Yeah," Juho mumbles, leaning against the wall, "I did a little while ago."

  
Juho figures now is the time. There is no time like the present, and his confidence is slowly draining, so this was the highest it would be for a long time to come. He grabs Taeyang's wrist as he goes to put away a carton of milk, cheeks reddening. "I, uh..."

  
Taeyang smiles at him, glowing like the sun. "Do you want to put the milk away or something?"

  
"No." Juho deadpans, and Taeyang's expression falls, darkening. "I mean, I would, but I'm lactose intolerant."

  
Taeyang gapes. "Oh, really? I had no idea!"

  
"I..." Juho has failed. He has ruined his only chance to get with the man of his dreams because he lied about being lactose intolerant. "Yeah... It's severe."

  
They stare at each other for a moment. Taeyang just doesn't have the heart to tell the other to let go of him. He must have been having a horrible time, being lactose intolerant and all. _He was so strong_.

  
"I'm not lactose intolerant," Juho admits, looking at the floor shamefully. Taeyang grows increasingly more confused. "Sorry, I don't know why I said that I was."

  
"Please let go of my wrist."

  
"I'm terribly sorry."

  
Taeyang continues to put his groceries away, and Juho stands next to him awkwardly, not knowing what he should do to alleviate the tension in the room.

  
"I'm in love with you!" He blurts, before stomping his foot and cursing himself. " _Oh, you stupid fuck_."

  
Taeyang has gone stiff from where he currently stands, hunched over a brown bag with a glass bottle of vinegar in his hands. "You what?"

  
"I what? I'm gonna leave."

  
"No, you're not."

  
Taeyang drops the bottle, hears it crack and shatter on the floor, and feels the liquid seep out over his foot. He grabs the other's forearm, bringing himself up to standing. "I like you too."

  
Juho swallows thickly and turns away in embarrassment. "You don't."

  
"I do!"

  
Taeyang smiles, then laughs, and soon there's tears in his eyes from how hard he's laughing, doubling over himself. "I do!" He insists, looking at the spill on the floor underneath him. "Oh my God, we're such fucking messes!"

  
Juho finds himself laughing as well, crouching down as he puts his hands over his eyes, shoulders lunging with each bout of laughs he lets out. "What the fuck is wrong with us?"

 

  
★・・・・・・★

 

  
Inseong wakes up an hour later to the feeling of his own bed underneath him once again. He cuddles into his comforter, feeling a bit better than he did earlier. Though, he finds himself alone.

  
Sanghyuk isn't beside the bed, he's not in the bed, and he's not even anywhere in the room that Inseong can see from around him. He calls out to him, expecting an answer, and gets nothing.

  
The brunette reaches for his phone, head aching with the exertion of just sitting up to do so, but he does nonetheless, frowning when he sees that he has no messages. He slips out of bed and stumbles to his doorway, peeking out to look into the living room.

  
He can make out Sanghyuk's form underneath a blanket on the couch, and immediately grabs his own and goes to him. The couch could barely fit one person, let alone an adult man, but Inseong was no quitter. He shoves Sanghyuk back, startling him awake as he climbs onto the sofa besides him.

  
"Hi?" The blonde whispers groggily, not hesitating to raise his arms so the other can slip underneath them. Inseong is floored that the two of them have become so domestic towards each other in the past few hours, but he doesn't necessarily mind it. He's grateful for the other's attention, and he wonders if Sanghyuk feels the same way. "What's wrong?"

  
"Lonely," Inseong puts it simply. So simply, in fact, that it takes Sanghyuk a whole minute to realize what he said. At that point, the both of them are settled on the couch together, the brunette practically slipping off from the lack of space. Sanghyuk pulls him further towards himself, keeping an arm around his waist to anchor him to himself and the furniture.

  
Inseong turns towards Sanghyuk and rests his head on the other's chest, sighing. Sanghyuk stills, closing his eyes.

  
"Do you really still care?"  
Inseong's question hangs unanswered for a moment, before Sanghyuk huffs, resting his head on top of the other's. "Of course I still do."

  
Inseong nods against him, closing his eyes. He begins falling asleep in the other's arms.

  
"I do, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading!! i hope you enjoyed my fic uwu, i've worked on this one for a few months and i finally decided that she was Ready to come out, so here it is! thank you again so much for reading, seeing that people actually took time out of their days to read some silly little thing i wrote is really just :( it makes me so happy. thank you so much. i love you!
> 
> twitter: @blossomfic ( https://twitter.com/blossomfic )  
> curious cat: @blossomfic ( https://curiouscat.me/blossomfic )


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